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If you are considering taking your business online or starting a blog, you may have stumbled across the dilemma of the domain name. This is a Beginner’s Guide about what is a domain name, and how it works. It is easy for a beginner to confuse it with a website. There are numerous terms that may sound technical to you if you are just starting out.
Well, if you want to build an online presence apart from social media, then you got to learn about domain names. To help you, we have gathered the necessary information you need to know about domain extensions or names and how to choose one. Without further ado, let’s get started.
What is a domain name?
Simply put, a domain name is the address of your website that people type in their internet browsers to visit your website. The internet is a giant network of computers and systems that are connected to each other through a global network.
Each system on this network is built to communicate with other systems. And each system is assigned an IP address to make identification easier. An IP address is a series of numbers that identifies a specific system on the internet. For example 22.697.22.1.
This is what a typical IP address looks like. Now try to remember it. While it is not impossible to remember this IP address, it can be a challenge, especially when there are so many IP addresses to remember.
This is where the domain name comes into the picture. It gives a unique identity to the systems. You don’t have to type in the long strings of confusing numbers on the web browser to get to a particular address. Simply type the website name with the extension. For example, techiedigest.com.
How to Choose a Domain Name for your Website
Thousands of domains are registered every single day. This means that all the good domains are either registered or will be registered soon. So, it can be overwhelming for a beginner to come up with a catchy name for their website.
It is very important to choose a robust domain name for your website. Below, we have provided some quick tips that you need to remember when you are about to buy a domain name for your website.
- If possible, always go with .com as it is the most popular domain extension that the majority of people remember. In fact, more than 40% of all the websites on the internet have a .com extension. .com is easy to remember and promote.
- Make sure it is shorter. Lengthier names can be hard to spell and type. They are prone to confuse users.
- If your website name is hard to pronounce, then it is of no use. If you have to spell or speak out its name more than once to someone, then it means it is difficult to pronounce.
- Avoid using numbers and hyphens in your web address because nothing can be more confusing than this.
- If you still find it difficult to come up with a domain name, you can take the help of online tools like a domain name generator to come up with unique ideas.
How to Properly Register a Domain Name
The name servers are systems managed by the hosting company. The hosting company will then forward your request to the system where your URL is stored.
This system is also known as the ‘web server’ which has special software installed that allows it to fetch the web page and information associated with it. At last, it sends your required information back to your internet browser.
Final Words
A domain name is the first step towards building a website and creating an online presence. In this competitive business world, if you are not online, you are losing out on a great opportunity to broaden your reach and audience.
Make sure that you choose a domain name registrar that offers dedicated services and doesn’t hide anything. Some providers tend to alter their services or disclose hidden costs after a user has purchased a domain. You have to be wary of those.